Automatic time and coin-controlled switch



Jul 15, 1924.

' H. PLUMMER AUTOMATIC TIME AND COIN CONTROLLED SWITCH Filed Oct. 111922 2, Sheets-Sheet. 1

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. H. PLUM'MER AUTOMATIC TIME AND COIN CONTROLLED SWITCH Filed Oct. 11.1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Minimum 11m HAROLD PL uMME/R Mammy Patented July15, 1924.

UNETD STATES HAROLD PLUMMER, OF OAKLAND, GAIJFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC TIME Al\TD COIhT-CONTROLLED SWITCH.

Application filed October 11, 1922. Serial No. 593,859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD PLUMMER, a British subject, residing atOakland, county of Alameda, and State of California, have invented newand useful Improvements in Automatic Time and Coin-Controlled Switches,of which the following is a specification. i

This invention relates to an automatic time and coin controlled electricswitch, in which the closing of the motor circuit is controlled by acoin or like token inserted by the person desiring to operate the motor,and it also relates to means for automatically breaking the circuitthrough the motor and switch at the end of a predetermined time period.

The invention embodies an electric motor which may be employed for anypurpose desired, a coin cont-rolled switch whereby a circuit is closedthrough the motor, and an intermediate switch actuating mecha-; nismdriven by the motor and adapted to automatically break the circuitthrough the motor and switch at the end of a predetermined time period.

One form which my invention may assume is exemplified in the followingdescription and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig.1 is a side elevation of an electric motor and the coin controlledswitch with connected actuating mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a central, vertical section of the coin controlled switchtaken on line 33, Fig.2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section of the switch taken on line 4 -4,Fig. 2.

' Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the switch actuating mechanism. 7

Fig. 6 is. a similar view taken on line 66, Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and

.. of a predetermined time period. The switch proper is best illustratedin Figs. 3 and 4. It consists of a box like casing provided with frontand end walls 2 and 3, respectively, side sections 4, top and bottomsections 5 and 6. Extending through the side sections 4 of the switchbox and suitably journalled therein is a cross shaft 7. Se cured on theshaft interior of the box is a cam 8, and secured on the exterior end ofthe shaft, as indicated at 9, is a double ended lever 10, in the-lowerendof which is secured a crank pin 11. This pin is grooved, as at 12, toreceive and form a guide for an actuating arm 13, hereinafter to bedescribed. e

The upper end of the lever 10 is provided with an inwardly extending pin14, and a similar lever 15 secured on the'opposite end of the shaft 7 isalso provided with an inwardly extending pin 16. These pins engage ahooked end 17 of a slide plate 18 supported on the upper end of the boxand this plate is guided by a pair of side lugs 19 as clearly shown inFigs. 1 and 2. Formed in the top section of the box indicated at 5 is acoin receiving slot 20. This slot communicates with a compartment 21formed in an inner box 22, which is constructed of fibre or likeinsulating material Projecting through the front plateor section of thebox B, and also through the fibre or inner box 22, is a bolt 23, whichforms one terminal of the electric circuit. Also extending through thefront plate of the box B is a second-terminal bolt 24, which forms asecondterminal of theelec tric circuit. This terminal is connectedthrough a wire 25 with the electric motor A and a circuit will only beformed through the motor and the switch when a coin is inserted and whenthe coin makes engagement with the terminals 23 and 24. This isaccomplished in the following .manner: Mounted in the rear portion ofthe inner switch box 22 is a plunger 26. This plunger is normally held.in: an extended position'by means of a spring 27, and when so extendedleaves the slot 21 open. The out.- er end of the bolt is provided with ahead 28 and this is engaged by the cam 8 and actuated thereby as willhereinafter be de scribed. The bolt when acted upon by the cam 8 ismoved inwardly and across the coin slot 21 and a recessis formed. in theinner end of the terminal bolt 24 as shown (see Fig. Such.

shaft 7 and the cam 8 secured thereto.

by the groove "12 formed therein.

mits insertion of a coin and it at the same time imparts a turningmovement to the This turning movement swings the cam in the direction ofarrow Z) and the cam will thus engage the head of the bolt 26 and willforce it inwardly and across the coin slot 21. Therefore if a coin isinserted through the upper end of the slot, it will drop downwardly intothe inner switch box 22 and it will here be temporarily supported asfurther progress of it is interrupted by the terminal bolt 23 and thebolt 26; this being plainly shown in Fig. 4, as the coin is thereindicated by the numeral 30. The coin, in

other words, forms a connection between terminal members 23 and 24k andin this manner closes a circuit through the motor. This circuit would bepermanently closed and maintained unless means are provided forretracting the bolt 26 so that the coin may be released and the circuitbroken, and

Ethe mechanism employed being best illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6.

The mechanism consists of a casing constructed of two sections, asindicated at 31 and 32. These sections are bolted together at 33 and assuch form a housing or casing in which is journalled a series of shafts,as indicated at 34, 35 and 36. These shafts form a support for a wormgear reduction train, which consists of a pinion 38, a worm gear 39, apinion 40, and a worm gear 11; the pinion 38 being secured 011 shaft341, the pinionAO and the gear 39 being secured on the shaft 35, and thefinal reduction gear 41 on the shaft 36. The actual reduction employedor obtained in'this instance is one thousand to one, that is shaft 35 isdriven by the motor A through the pulleys 42 and 43, and the belt 4 1and the reduction is such that one thousand revolutions of shaft 34 willbe required to rotate shaft 36 one revolution. Secured on one end ofshaft 36, which extends through the casing, is a crank arm 45, andpivotally attached thereto, as at 46, is theswitchactuating arm 13heretofore referred to. This arm is supported by the crank pin 11 and isguided Formed on the arm 13, adjacent its outer end, is a shoulder 13and attached to the extreme outer end of thearm is a spring 50, whichholds arm 13 in engagement with the crank' pin 11. Arm 15, which issecured on shaft 7, is connected to a coil spring 52 and the oppositeend of this spring is attached to Therefore when cover plate 18 is movedto open position, spring 52 will assume the position shown in Fig. 1,thereby retaining the cover plate in open position and also the shaft 7in its turned position, where cam 8 engages bolt 26. It may here bestated that the tension of the spring 52 is greater than the tension ofthe spring 27, which surrounds the bolt 26, and it will for this reasonretain the bolt in its forward or depressed position until it isautomatically released by the intermediate switch actuating mechanism C.This is accomplished as follows:

Formed on one side of the crank pin 11 is a flattened face 11 This faceis adapted to be engaged by the shoulder 13 and when such engagement ismade, movement will be imparted to swing the arm 10 back to normalposition. during the last portion of the single revolution of shaft 36and the only movement required is just sufficient to swing the lever 10slightly beyond a vertical position as the spring 52 will complete themovement the moment it passes beyond a central, vertical line drawnthrough shaft 7. I

An electric motor connected and controlled as here shown may be used fora number of different purposes. For instance to drive a shoe polishingmachine which is intermittent in operation; a fan or in fact anymechanism desired which is not continuously used, for instance if themotor A was connected to a shoe polishing machine and practicedetermines that it. only takes three minutes to polish a pair of shoes,then it is obvious that the circuit should be broken through the switchand motor at the end of three minutes. The gear reduction employed andthe speed of the motor would then be regulated so that it would takethree minutes to impart one revolution to the shaft 36. This onerevolution would cause the shoulder 13a of arm 13 to engage theflattened face of the crank pin 11, and lever 10 would therefore swingback to normal position when so engaged, the first movement of arm 10being imparted through arm 13 and, the shoulder 13 and the last movementby the pull of the spring 52 when the spring passes over the center.Bolt 26 will be automatically retracted by the action of the spring 27when cam 8 moves away from the bolt, and the coin 30 will then bereleased and the circuit through the switch and the motor broken. Thetime period required to break the circuit may be entirely regulated byreducing gears, and it is therefore possible to break the circuit afterthe motor has been operated for one minute, three minutes, five minutes,or in fact any time period desired. The cover plate 18 is also returnedwhen the circuit is broken and the coin slot is therefore covered. Thisis This movement is imparted of importance as the next person desiringto 0 erate the motor, or in other words the mechanism driven thereby,will first have to push the cover plate back to uncover the coin slotand when so doing resets the switch terminals to receive the coin, whichwill then close the circuit and again set the motor in operation.

While certain features of the present invention are more or lessspecifically illus trated, I wish it understood that various changes inform and proportion may be resorted to within the scope of the appendedclaims, similarly that the materials and finish of the several partsemployed may be such as the experience and judgment of the manufacturermay dictate or various uses may demand.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. The combination with an electric motor and a coincontrolled switch therefor of means requiring manual setting of theswitch before a coin can be inserted and the circuit closed, and meansdriven by the m0- tor for resetting the switch and releasing the coin tobreak the circuit.

2. In a device of the character described an electric switch, comprisinga casing, a shaft extending therethrough, a cam on the shaft, a plungeractuated by the shaft and adapted to prepare a circuit which is closedby the insertion of a coin, a motor in the circuit, and means driven bythe motor for releasing the plunger and the coin for breaking thecircuit through the motor.

3. In a device of the character described, an electric switch comprisinga casing, a switch lever on one side of the casing, a shaft adapted tobe turned thereby, a cam on the shaft, a plunger actuated by the cam andadapted to prepare an electric circuit, which is closed upon insertionof a coin, an electric motor in the circuit, a reduction gear driventhereby, and means actuated by said reductiongear and engageable withthe switch arm to swing the same to open position.

l. In a device of the character described, an electric switch, a switcharm thereon, a shaft connected to the arm and adapted to be turnedthereby, a cam on the shaft, a plunger actuated by the cam and adaptedto prepare a circuit which is closed by the insertion of a coin, a motorin said circuit, a reducing gear driven by the motor, a crank arm drivenby the reducing gear, and an arm connected to the crank arm andengage-able with the switch arm to swing the switch to open position andthereby return the cam and the plunger and release the coin whereby thecircuit was closed.

- HAROLD ,PLUMMER.

